Anniversary jaunt

We can hardly believe that we are out on the cut for the first time in 2010. Where did 1/4 of the year go and how did it disappear so quickly??? Today is the 25th of March, our 15th Wedding Anniversary, and we decided that the best place to be was out on the canal, so here we are, back in Braunston. We've moored outside the Boat House again, not just because it is just a step up to the pub, but also, because by the time we floated into Braunston this afternoon, there were no moorings left!

We had a bit of a false start earlier, Bella deciding that forward gear was her direction of choice, no matter what Pete did with the throttle. We pulled back in to our mooring and Pete took the deck plates off and had a look. A few minutes later, he put the gear cable back where it should be and within 6 minutes, we were untied and out on the northern Oxford canal. Ahhhh... Then, of course it rained. Having had a beautiful warm, sunny and dry morning, within a few minutes on the cut, the mizzle started and then mixed with drizzle all the way to Bronny. Such is our boating life!

Icy March

It's nearly the middle of March and you may have guessed that we're still moored in Blue Haven. We have been so busy for work and it has been so cold that we've taken the choice to stay put for a while. Though we love travelling, it is lovely to have the choice to move or not. These ducks are working on their ice skating.

There has been ice again and again, and the water is so cold that when we returned from a few working days away, it took some time for dear Bella to come up to temperature again. But all is well now. We're making plans for an April setting out on the cut, after Bella goes into sheds. She's going to have a significant repaint on some bits and repair on others and will get new roof vents. We'll show her off in all her shiny status when done.

Woah - missed February!

We know it was a short month, but we didn't anticipate missing it entirely! We were moored up in Blue Haven the whole time, variously iced in and not and doing some work and domestic things. The winter has really stretched out into spring and we realised we had the choice - we did not have to travel while freezing! So we stayed tucked up. And we put up this wonderful oil lamp in the dining room. SO cosy.